Political leaders from both sides of the aisle spoke at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast on Thursday to discuss the intersection of faith and immigration reform.

Esperanza, a faith based organization that provides technical assistance to Hispanic communities, hosted the event that included speeches from Texas Sen. John Cornyn, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden.

The president and founder of Esperanza, Rev. Luis Cortés, said his organization works with a large network of churches and faith based organizations nationwide.

“We have religious freedom and the freedom to say what we want,” he said. “I should be able to take whatever motivates me, whether it’s religion or not, I have the right to take that into the public sphere. It is part of what you get when you’re in America.”

Rev. Harvey Clemons, Jr., pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Houston, is proud to support Esperanza, a national leader in the immigration reform effort. When asked about the role of religion in immigration reform, Clemons said, “Paul says that faith without works is dead, so we have a duty to speak about these issues that devastate mankind. Truth is light. Where darkness is, light is obligated to shine. Our hope is that legislation is passed sooner rather than later.”

Rev. Mike Cole, the General Presbyter of Presbyterian churches in the greater Houston area, said that the issue of immigration is not just for Hispanics, but it is an issue for all people. “We want to put the debate on immigration reform in the arena of faithfulness. We want to respond to social justice issues based on our faith. Our faith has to influence our politics. For Harvey and I, our faith trumps politics, and it is our highest priority.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime Security,and a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, also attended the event.

“The community of faith is a symbol of the charitable framework of America. The faith community can be a motivator to those who are vigorously opposed to immigration reform. If there is ever a time to expand advocacy, it is now. There needs to be waves of pastors challenging their political leaders to do what is good,” said Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat.

Cornyn, a San Antonio Republican, was a featured speaker at the event.

“I truly believe that the strength of the nation is derived from the integrity of the family,” he said. “I believe that our country is strong and our families are strong.”

Cornyn said Washington has accepted high unemployment as the new normal, but he doesn’t think it is acceptable. He considers it a “human tragedy” when people want to work and produce for their families but are not able to because there is not a job available.

“In my view, we need to rededicate ourselves to a growth agenda in this economy. I’m not talking about bigger government, we’ve tried that. If big government was the answer to our slow economy, then unemployment would be zero today. Obviously, that is not the case,” said Cornyn.

The Congressional Budget Office announced that if no bill for immigration reform is passed by 2023, we would still have 10 million undocumented immigrants. Even if the bill does pass, America would have 7.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States, according to Cornyn.

“I’ve remained hopeful that common sense will ultimately produce common ground,” said Cornyn.

Pelosi, whose views on immigration reform differ from Cornyn’s, said in her speech that “Faith overcomes even political differences.” Referencing Hebrews 13:2, Pelosi said that we should show hospitality to strangers, because some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Vice President Joe Biden said he believes that the reason so many immigrants make the journey to America is because it is part of the human spirit. When addressing the crowd later in his speech, he said, “I know most of you are Republicans. I pray for you.”